SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #69

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

Mark Harris wrote:

> I'm assuming you are talking about coating the fish in flour or batter
> and frying it in grease or oil. (like British fish and chips?)
> 
> So, my question for anyone is, Is such fried food period? I'm wondering
> about other meats too, not just fish. I thought fried chicken was from
> the American South but I'm not sure.

There are late-period recipes for frying chicken, but it doesn't seems
like crisp was what was being aimed for. It seems to be more of a
situation where the the chicken is browned in a frying-pan, and the
sauce ingredients are adeded to finish cooking. By modern standards it
is really braised. In answer to the inevitable next question, I am only
awake at this hour because my wife was having a computer problem, and
may be able to find the original source in the morning.
> 
> If so, what was the cooking medium in period? Olive oil? lard? fish oil?
> Did they use breading or just cook it in the oil?

Seems as though the commonest method would be to fry with no coating at
all, using olive oil or "whyte grees": effectively lard or rendered
suet. Taillevent mentions frying certain fish dishes with no coating of
flour, presumably he wouldn't mention this unless the habit existed.

 The recipe for cuminade de poissons in Le Menagier de Paris calls for
the fish to be fried before adding it to the sauce...that I have a
redaction for already on disk, which I will post in the a.m. if anyone
wishes. 

> 
> Thanks.
>   Stefan li Rous
>   markh at risc.sps.mot.com

Hot cha cha,
Adamantius